Bangkok (VNA) – The Thai cabinet on January 12approved a number of measures to reduce the cost of living and increaseliquidity, and ease the impact of the new wave of COVID-19 infections.
The measures including cutting down electricity and tapwater charges, a handout of 7,000 baht (about 230 USD) over two months to needypeople, and provide soft loans to eligible businesses, local media reported.
Internet usage fees would be reduced and internet speedsboosted to support work from home.
The 90 percent reduction in land and building taxes and thereduced 0.01 percent fee for property transfers and mortgages will be extended.
The government will reopen its co-payment consumptionsubsidy scheme later this month, for 1 million people. The 1 million rightswere unused from the two previous rounds of registration.
Soft loans would be arranged to boost liquidity, foreligible people and businesses. The government had allocated 200 billion baht (6.64billion USD) for this.
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government has enoughmoney to support the new COVID-related financial measures.
About 490 billion baht remained from the Finance Ministry's1-trillion-baht borrowing project to cope with COVID-19's impact, and about 130billion baht from the government's contingency fund could also be used forthis purpose, he said.
Thailand on January 12 reported 287 new COVID-19 cases, 278of them local transmissions, bringing the total since COVID-19 first appearedin January 2020 to 10,834. No new deaths were reported, leaving the accumulatedtoll at 67.
Earlier this month, the Joint Standing Committee onCommerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) downgraded Thailand’s economic outlook,with only 1.5-3.5 percent growth this year if the government fail to controlthe new wave of COVID-19 in three months. JSCCIB predicted that the country’sexports will expand by 3-5 percent this year, down from the previous estimateof 4-6 percent expansion, following the new outbreak./.
The measures including cutting down electricity and tapwater charges, a handout of 7,000 baht (about 230 USD) over two months to needypeople, and provide soft loans to eligible businesses, local media reported.
Internet usage fees would be reduced and internet speedsboosted to support work from home.
The 90 percent reduction in land and building taxes and thereduced 0.01 percent fee for property transfers and mortgages will be extended.
The government will reopen its co-payment consumptionsubsidy scheme later this month, for 1 million people. The 1 million rightswere unused from the two previous rounds of registration.
Soft loans would be arranged to boost liquidity, foreligible people and businesses. The government had allocated 200 billion baht (6.64billion USD) for this.
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government has enoughmoney to support the new COVID-related financial measures.
About 490 billion baht remained from the Finance Ministry's1-trillion-baht borrowing project to cope with COVID-19's impact, and about 130billion baht from the government's contingency fund could also be used forthis purpose, he said.
Thailand on January 12 reported 287 new COVID-19 cases, 278of them local transmissions, bringing the total since COVID-19 first appearedin January 2020 to 10,834. No new deaths were reported, leaving the accumulatedtoll at 67.
Earlier this month, the Joint Standing Committee onCommerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) downgraded Thailand’s economic outlook,with only 1.5-3.5 percent growth this year if the government fail to controlthe new wave of COVID-19 in three months. JSCCIB predicted that the country’sexports will expand by 3-5 percent this year, down from the previous estimateof 4-6 percent expansion, following the new outbreak./.
VNA
